Amy oh

Thanks to Fong Mong for this free sample. It’s been ages since I have cold brewed an oolong but I decided to do that last night. This definitely seems to have a roasted, slightly nutty flavor in addition to the nice vegetal quality I am getting. I won’t rate this since I never got to try it hot, but it’s good this way.

Now off to the farmer’s market for some vegetables!

Tea of the morning here, I have not dipped into any of my FF darjeelings in a while but was somehow in the mood for it this morning – tastes fresh, lovely and fruity still. See previous notes for more info.

Tea of the morning here… such a nice Saturday morning I am having! This was steeped for 4 minutes in the Beehouse teapot. This is a really nice morning tea, it provides a good amount of heft but is also rich and caramel-y with some of the characteristic “peppery” notes that you often find in black Yunnan teas. I am drinking mine in a big mug with some soymilk and later I will be going to the Asian Art Museum to check out some Chinese calligraphy!

This is a lovely little mini tuo. I decided to steep one up this afternoon to try it for the first time.

The tea liquor is very rich and creamy — I am definitely getting the date flavor here but it isn’t as fruity as some I’ve had. It’s earthy, sweet and fairly mild. It’s been a while since I’ve had a shu puerh and this is definitely mushroomy/dirty/loamy in character. Pretty good for an afternoon cuppa. I got three steeps out of it before I gave up, but I think it could keep going for a while.

Here’s an intriguing tea I got from my Seven Cups order. I have a friend who is obsessed with peacocks so perhaps I will have to give her some of this. :)

First steep at two minutes: this smells a bit winey, and ergo reminds me of a keemun. The flavor is a bit like some golden monkeys I’ve had. It’s a bit “yammy” and starchy but the aftertaste is slightly bitter with a hint of tobacco.

Second steep: I decided to go for around 45 seconds instead of the longer steep time. This has brought forth some more gentle notes of plantain and caramel. Definitely good to keep the steeping time short on this tea unless you like something really strong and bitter.

More to come soon…

My first order with Seven Cups, it was prompted by something they posted on their Twitter feed a few days ago about this tea. When I first opened up the bag I wasn’t sure if it was a green tea or a white tea, but it’s definitely green!

I’m not always such a fan of floral scented teas but this is really wonderful! The tea liquor is a nice golden yellow, and the fragrance wafting from it is just divine. I probably let this steep for a little too long because I forgot about it, but it’s still really lovely. It’s rich and sweet with a very hefty orchid flavor and a slight twinge of bitterness in the finish, I will try steeping for a little less next time to see if I can eradicate that. I was definitely not disappointed with this lovely tea! Great for a quiet afternoon moment.

I’ve had this sample for a while but evidently I forgot to post a tasting note for it until now…

This blend is definitely unique! It’s a bit smoky and also kind of… minty? tingly? Interesting element which I guess is from the mate. I think the elderberry also provides a nice fruity note here. There’s some black tea but it seems to be on the lighter side which is definitely nice. I am enjoying it this morning, not sure I will need any more but it’s definitely a good blend and will wake me up! :)

Tea of the afternoon here…

I have been seriously neglecting my tea log which is kind of a shame. Last night I was watching the storm coverage on CNN so I hope all the East Coast Steepsters are ok!

see previous notes for more info

Tea of the afternoon, this stuff is seriously good.

I was thinking about buying a milk frother but then I discovered that mixing this up in the Blendtec creates a really great froth so I think I’ll skip having to buy another appliance. I wish I could afford all the matcha flavors!

I didn’t sleep too well last night so I’m kind of glad I have some of this matcha to perk me up today.

Hmm, I added one scoop into around 6 oz. of soymilk and heated it up in the microwave. I can see the only issue with making these matcha soymilk drinks all day would be the calories! This smells very yummy and tastes pretty good. I am getting a lot of nutmeg here and the pumpkin pie spice. I think this might be kind of nasty if you just prepared it plain but it’s definitely good with something creamy. I think I prefer the macadamia nut matcha slightly, but this is a really good treat for this time of year.

Matcha – wake me up! :D

I finally broke down and ordered a couple of matchas from Red Leaf after reading all of the reviews on Steepster. I love macadamia nuts so I really wanted to try this!

You get a little wooden scoop with your order from Red Leaf. I measured out one scoop and mixed it with 8 oz. of soymilk, warmed in the microwave. My tea was kind of lumpy because I was attempting to stir it with a coffee stirrer and not a whisk or anything. I was amazed at how good the flavor was here. It’s very rich and nut-like, I got the macadamia for sure. I might have made a mistake by having this so late in the day, but it sure is good. I can see how this would make an incredible dessert or whipped cream.

OMG! It is good!

This is a great evening time tisane… it was very good after I went to the movies tonight and then had a huge bowl of vegetarian ramen. Just the right amount of ginger but not overwhelming. I really love this with some soymilk. :)

For some reason our building has no water today and I tried calling the landlord but got no response. I was wondering how I was going to make tea until some nice lady on Twitter reminded me I had some emergency water stashed away in the closet.

This is a nice hefty tea for the morning with a bit of smoke in it. I am hoping it will kick start me a bit – looks like I’ll need to go to the gym today to at least take a shower. :)

I have so many flavored green teas for some reason… anyway this was something I made around lunch time as an iced tea but am just getting around to trying it now. Yep, I think I prefer it cold. If you’re a fan of apple candy you should check it out. :)

see previous notes for more info

I still have lots of this, so I cold brewed it last night as an experiment. Another fruity tea that isn’t too strong on the hibiscus and has a nice cherry flavor. Still, I wont be too sad when it’s gone.

This is the last tea in the DT fall collection for me to try.

Very, definitely FRUITY, almost smells like kool aid sitting in the cup. I am getting watermelon and carrot, for sure. There is hibiscus in here but it isn’t very tart, which seems like a good move on the part of DT, they were able to make it mild. I am not getting too much of the actual white tea flavor, but this isn’t bad. I might actually prefer it over ice so I will need to try it that way soon. If you like fruit punch you might be really into this.

I liked it better than I thought I would.

Tea of the evening here, the last one to try in my Kusmi “afternoon” tea sampler set.

I normally quite like genmaicha, but as a few other people remarked this is a very light version and I’m used to the ones made by Japanese tea companies that are quite nutty and brothy. This is rather genteel with a sweetness and a slight floral note. Odd, I thought all genmaichas were mostly the same but perhaps the difference is the green tea they are using in this blend. I think I prefer the more traditional kind, but this is pretty nice overall and made for an interesting surprise. They claim this is delicious iced, so I may need to try that.

I never seem to be blown away by any of the Kusmi teas but the tins are just so darn cute…

Today’s a good day to make iced tea because it’s nice and sunny here!

I wish I had cold brewed this, so as not to dilute the flavor but it’s still very good when you pour it over ice. mmmm, houjicha! See previous notes for more info.

I still have a bit of this sample left, which I got from Ze_Teamaker!

I am drinking it this morning in hopes that it will wake my as* up! It is pretty tasty, actually.

I was craving an oolong this morning and I managed to dig up this sample I got from TeaEqualsBliss a while ago.

mmm, this is really hitting the spot. It’s slightly woodsy and a bit sweet. I’d say it reminds me of raisins, but more like the golden raisins you sometimes get. Or a slight bit of apricot too. Anyway, this is really hitting the spot this morning. I’ve had this for months and can’t believe I forgot to review it. :)

After lunch tea – I am really enjoying this on such a nice sunny day that we are having… if you’re a fan of oolongs you might like this. It says some of the same nutty and floral notes but a slight bit more vegetal. I think I will need to try cold brewing it sometime…

Tea of the mid-morning here…

This stuff is definitely sweet! I added some soymilk also and I am getting lots of cinnamon and allspice. In fact, I think someone should rename this tea to be “cinnamon sugar cookie” because that’s what it reminds me of. It’s not a bad dessert tea but I don’t think I will need anymore once my current supply is gone.

Tea of the afternoon/early evening here. The dry leaf smells like a flower garden and is very relaxing.

This got steeped for 3 minutes in the Bee House teapot. The tea itself is lightly rosey but it isn’t too strong in my opinion. It has a nice vegetal quality, mixed with the flowery sweetness of the rose. I think I prefer a rose congou when it comes to rose scented teas, but this is pretty nice for a quiet moment. might be nice iced, as well.

Another tea from the David’s Tea fall collection…

I was looking forward to trying this one and this morning we are fogged in again in S.F., so this seemed like a sweet and cosy thing to try this morning.

This was steeped for 5 minutes and got some soymilk thrown in. It’s a bit sweeter than I thought it would be, but I like it pretty well. It has a nice pumpkin flavor and the cardamom is definitely shining through, which I love. There is a slight touch of clove but nothing too overwhelming. Pretty good but I admit I am partial to the Grandma’s Pumpkin Pie by Della Terra. :)